The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has announced its plans to unveil a state-of-the-art E-mobility Centre of Excellence in Pune in order to speed up the development and influx of electric cars in India. The research centre, as revealed by ARAI, will work towards establishing a dedicated hub to test various technologies, strategies, regulations and visions surrounding electrification of cars.
The move follows the Government of India's directive on electric cars in India, which targets 2030 as a deadline within which mainstream cars across the nation must start being electrified. The global standard has also suggested the same, where multiple carmakers including BMW, Volvo, Maserati and others have announced plans to introduce electrification in some form in their entire car portfolio in the near future. In India, however, there is a distinct lack of dedicated infrastructure when it comes to electric vehicles. Charging networks are largely missing until now, and the range of electric cars available right now cost significantly more and offer lesser amenities in comparison to a standard combustion engine car. It is these issues, and more, that the ARAI will aim to resolve before India makes the shift in favour of battery-powered cars.
Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director of ARAI, said upon the announcement, "The E-mobility Centre of Excellence would be a one of its kind in India. It will have state-of-the-art facilities for development, evaluation, benchmarking, validation and certification testing of electric and hybrid electric vehicles, and related sub-systems and components. ARAI has envisaged this Centre to be the facility which will be able to offer and cater to all services and meet the requirements of the automotive and ancillary industry in India, under a single roof. This will make ARAI a preferred solution provider in e-mobility."
The Government of India has revealed intentions of leading by example by being the early adopters of electric cars in the country. Its first tender for 10,000 electric cars was bagged by Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, the first batch of which have been delivered. Niti Aayog, the advisory body, has also announced plans to establish a charging network in the Delhi-NCR region, all of which make for initial steps regarding electric cars in the country. With the E-mobility Centre for Excellence, it remains to be seen how electric and hybrid vehicles grow in the nation, and at what pace.